


like wounded soldiers in need of healing

by notthebigspoon



Series: Stick 'Em Up [7]
Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2012-08-19
Packaged: 2017-11-12 12:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/490870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthebigspoon/pseuds/notthebigspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They'd called the night before to say they were flying in to check on him. Ryan hadn't recognized his mom's voice at first, which had set off another bout of brooding. No matter how much they try to reassure him that it's only been a few days, that things will clear up but they're going to clear up slowly, sometimes he just can't be calmed. He'd thrown his phone across the room and shattered it into pieces.</p><p>Title taken from I'd Come For You by Nickelback.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like wounded soldiers in need of healing

**Author's Note:**

> The Yadi/Panda show is a reference to [ From Your Smile Down To Your Feet](http://archiveofourown.org/works/329470) by crimsonkitty. Go read. It's beautiful and adorable.

Being suspended is never a good thing, money loss and letting your team down and all that. Not that he's resented, he knows most of the guys are on his side. But there's a silver lining in that he gets to be with Ryan for the first few days that he's home and settling in. He doesn't go to the shrink with him, leaves that to Jalynne and spends a few hours cleaning the apartment in preparation for Ryan's parents turning up.

They'd called the night before to say they were flying in to check on him. Ryan hadn't recognized his mom's voice at first, which had set off another bout of brooding. No matter how much they try to reassure him that it's only been a few days, that things will clear up but they're going to clear up slowly, sometimes he just can't be calmed. He'd thrown his phone across the room and shattered it into pieces.

Today's outing, aside from the first appointment with the psychiatrist, included a pit stop to buy a new phone.

They make it home ahead of Theriot's parents arriving at the airport. Brandon had offered to pick them up but Ryan had shrugged it off, opting for them to get a rental instead and a room at the hotel around the corner from Brandon and Jalynne's apartment building. All in all, Brandon thinks, not a bad arrangement. Mostly he's terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing because they're meeting the parents, even though he's technically meeting them as Ryan's best friend, not his polyamorous boyfriend.

Maybe he's had too much coffee today. That's the his third mild spazzout since waking up.

The reality of the situation turns out to be much smoother than the clusterfuck that Brandon had envisioned. Randy and Mary are nice people, polite and Brandon can see where Ryan gets some of his mannerisms, can see a little bit of him in both of them. Mary retreats to the kitchen to help Jalynne get dinner going in spite of Jalynne's protests that they're guests and she can handle it. Ryan and his dad take up residence on the couch, Ryan quietly hashing out to his father what he had told his mother on the phone the night before.

Brandon doesn't feel comfortable in either situation, just slips into the kitchen long enough to grab a glass of coke. He hesitates before adding a heavy dose of rum, liquid courage to carry him, and makes his way out to the balcony. He drops into his favorite deck chair, takes a drink and closes his eyes, listening to the sounds of the city around him.

Not for the first time and definitely not for the last, Brandon wonders how different things would be if he's stepped up. If he'd said something or tried, really tried, to make Ryan stop. He knows that realistically, there's little he could have done. In the end, the most likely scenario was losing Ryan as a lover and Ryan still ending up a bloody, unconscious mess on a cement floor. With the way that Jay guy is, he might not have called an ambulance, just thrown Ryan out the back door and left him there.

The thought makes Brandon shudder and take a big enough swig of his rum and coke to make him wince.

“You don't look like you're doing too hot, son.”

Brandon startles, looking up. He hadn't even heard the door open. He manages a shaky smile at his boyfriend's dad, gesturing at the deck chair next to him. “Mr. Theriot. Scared me.”

“Just Randy is fine.” He answers, sitting down and taking a drink of something Brandon wagers is lemonade. “Boy says you blame yourself.”

“I do. A little. I knew about this and I didn't try to make him stop because I was afraid of upsetting him.” Brandon shrugs. “He asleep?”

“Dozed off halfway through a sentence. Didn't bother waking him up. He needs his rest. And as for what happened... Ryan's a stubborn man. You wouldn't have been able stop him. Was kind of you to take him in while he's getting better.”

“He's my best friend. I still shoulder some blame. I'm not going to leave him to deal with this alone, with no one to take care of him.”

“No wonder he likes you. You're a good kid.”

Brandon offers him a wry smile, waving his glass in the air. “Not really, sir. On my best behavior and all that.”

“Well, while you're on your best behavior, how about you share some of that rum?”

Brandon is still snickering when they make it inside to the liquor cabinet. He doses Randy but not himself. He's already got a low key buzz, doesn't need anything more than that. He takes his recliner while Randy takes the couch and they tune in to the giants game, the commentary underscored by their conversation and quiet snuffling from Ryan, still asleep on the couch.

Dinner is peaceful. Ryan's appetite hasn't entirely recovered and his mother spends the meal poking him to eat while Brandon tries fruitlessly to smother his grins. Dessert is Ryan's favorite dump cake and, big surprise, the one thing he doesn't have to be arm twisted into consuming. His parents leave when he starts falling asleep on the couch again. As soon as the hugs are over and the door is shut, Brandon takes a long kiss.

“Well. That didn't suck.”

“Mom loves Jalynne and I think she likes you better than me now.”

“Course she does. I'm adorable.” Brandon smiles, gripping Ryan's hand and tugging him to his feet. “C'mon. Bed. You're not going to make it through a game in those seats tomorrow if you don't get enough sleep. I got suspended for you, want you there my first day back.”

“Aren't pitchers the ones who're supposed to be incapable of controlling themselves?”

“Shut up.”

“I love you too.”

“Boys! Both of you, shut up and go to sleep!”

Brandon shuts up, glancing at his boyfriend and stifling a giggle as they climb into bed, Ryan in the middle as seems to be habit lately. They trade muted smiles before answering, “Yes dear.”

The next morning, Brandon is up early. He showers and eats breakfast, trades kisses with his wife and boyfriend before heading out to get to the ballpark early. He feels better knowing that he's going to be on the field today. In spite of being there for his boyfriend, a good feeling, he's been bored to tears and antsy in his own skin during the suspension, short though it was. He wants to prove himself, even though he has no idea what he has to prove.

They're up against the Cards and he doesn't really see anything going wrong. Warm up and BP occurs without event. Well, mostly. They stopped counting the YadiPanda show as an event last year, the novelty is wearing off. Unless there's another samba. Brandon kind of misses the dancing. Alas, there is none. They have to settle for Yadi slinging Lincecum over his shoulder and threatening to carry him off to the Cards dugout.

The game is... uneventful. Boring, Brandon would say. He sneaks a glimpse at the stands every now and then, grins when he sees Jalynne, Ryan and Ryan's parents. The only damper is the way Ryan's arm is wrapped around his own chest and Brandon would wager he's applying pressure, trying to take deeper breaths in spite of the cracked ribs. Sometimes there's an unhappy look on his face. Brandon finds himself wondering if he's in pain or if he's having a hard time remembering something again.

Of all of it, the memory issues are what scare Ryan the most and Brandon doesn't blame him.

He helps Ryan down to the field afterward, smiling faintly at the applause, and steers him down through the dugout to the clubhouse. He's greeted with cheers and gentle hugs. He answers no comment to most questions until Brandon's ready to leave and follows him out to the truck, saying that Jalynne had left earlier with his parents.

In the truck, they sit for the longest time, listening to the radio and staring off into space. When they finally leave, Brandon hesitates before extending his arm and taking Ryan's hand, lacing their fingers together. Ryan startles, looking down at their hands before looking up at Brandon, a slow smile crossing his face. He squeezes Brandon's hand, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Fine. Everything's just fine.


End file.
